RE: Islam IS the true religion of humanity.
November 18, 2013 at 2:45 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2013 at 2:47 pm by Sleepy.)
God not being able to lift a stone means He is not All Powerful. By being able to lift any rock means he is All-Powerful. Easy and simple to understand.
"A rationally impossible thing cannot have an external extension. Therefore, when Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be with him, was asked about God's power to place the world in an egg-shell, he responded, 'Although God's power is infinite, nevertheless, what you are asking is a nothing." (pp. 219-220)
A "nothing" (la shai) is a rational impossibility. Allah cannot do what is logically impossible - He cannot be unjust, create a stone he cannot lift, make 2+2=5, etc. Yet this does not really contradict the fact that Allah is All Powerful. Allah has power over all things - but in these cases there is no "thing" for Him to have Power over (i.e. there is no object of power present). Allah can indeed do anything. However, a rational impossibility is a "nothing," and "nothing" obviously does not and cannot fall under the category "anything." This was (and still is) a long-standing debate between the Sunni Ashari theologians and the philosophers. The Asharis said Allah's Absolute Power means all options are open and all outcomes are possible. Thus in their view Allah can be unjust, create a stone he cannot lift, make 2+2=5, etc. The philosophers disagreed. They said Allah's Absolute Power means "If He wills it, it will happen; if not, not." Thus, ***IF*** Allah willed to be unjust (or create a stone he could not lift, make 2+2=5, etc.), it would happen. However, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE He would ever so will."
"A rationally impossible thing cannot have an external extension. Therefore, when Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be with him, was asked about God's power to place the world in an egg-shell, he responded, 'Although God's power is infinite, nevertheless, what you are asking is a nothing." (pp. 219-220)
A "nothing" (la shai) is a rational impossibility. Allah cannot do what is logically impossible - He cannot be unjust, create a stone he cannot lift, make 2+2=5, etc. Yet this does not really contradict the fact that Allah is All Powerful. Allah has power over all things - but in these cases there is no "thing" for Him to have Power over (i.e. there is no object of power present). Allah can indeed do anything. However, a rational impossibility is a "nothing," and "nothing" obviously does not and cannot fall under the category "anything." This was (and still is) a long-standing debate between the Sunni Ashari theologians and the philosophers. The Asharis said Allah's Absolute Power means all options are open and all outcomes are possible. Thus in their view Allah can be unjust, create a stone he cannot lift, make 2+2=5, etc. The philosophers disagreed. They said Allah's Absolute Power means "If He wills it, it will happen; if not, not." Thus, ***IF*** Allah willed to be unjust (or create a stone he could not lift, make 2+2=5, etc.), it would happen. However, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE He would ever so will."
